The Girl in the Fountain
by weezerz2490
Summary: One day Cesare Borgia meets someone he did not expect. Who is this strange girl, and how will her presence affect their world? Will she become an asset or a hindrance? I she wants to survive, she had better make herself useful. (Rated T for now)
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing but my OC.

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**_Chapter 1: The Assumption  
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**August 15, 2014  
Vatican City, Rome, Italy**

"Well, now I finally know what it's like to celebrate a mass in the basilica." Amaryllis commented as she and Valeria exited St. Peter's together, squinting slightly as they walked out into the bright sunlight. She had been living in Rome for over half a year, but she had never actually been to a mass at the famous church until now. The last time she ventured into this city with her father, they had passed up the basilica to see the Sistine Chapel and the rest of the Vatican museums.

"Ah, I'm so glad to be out in the open after being stuck in that stuffy church for so long!" Her Roman friend exclaimed, stretching her arms out. The faithful had been packed tightly into the church like a mass of sardines.

"It was your idea." Amaryllis reminded her, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but only because I forgot how overcrowded it would be since today is the day of the Assumption of Mary, a holy day of obligation." Valeria replied with a shrug. "We should have gone to a less famous church today and saved the basilica for another. But enough complaining! Let's find a gelato vendor, and then we can go see the rest of the city while we're here." She suggested on a brighter note.

"Sounds like a plan." Amaryllis agreed with a grin as they linked arms to cross the vast square together.

As they stood in line for their gelato, the pop music playing over the old, beat-up radio on the vendor's cart started to go on the fritz. The song was interrupted by static and noise.

"_Basta_!" The vendor snapped at the faulty radio, hitting it with the palm of his hand to try to get it to play again.

"It's probably the solar flares." The middle-aged and pasty-skinned tourist with hints of a sunburn, who was standing in front of them, commented to his plump wife. "I heard on the news last night that they're acting up today."

"Are they really?" His wife asked with feigned interest as she fanned herself and stared with longing at the cool gelato being served to the people at the front of the line.

"Yes." The man said, nodding to himself. "The newscaster said they only reach this level about once every five-hundred years, so be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen, dear." He cautioned her.

"I wonder if that's why my phone claims to have no signal?" Valeria said thoughtfully, causing Amaryllis to glance back at her and see that she had already pulled it out only to have her attempts at texting thwarted by lack of signal.

"Suffering withdrawal already?" Amaryllis asked with a wry smile. "I swear, you're like an addict with that thing."

"You can't swear, we're in the Vatican." Valeria teased with a rueful smile.

"They used to do worse than that within the walls of this city…" Amaryllis reminded her with an impish smirk.

"I know." Valeria said with a smirk of her own. "I was born in Rome, remember? Throughout history, this city has been home to both sinner and saint. Speaking of which, have you seen the Borgia apartments? Pope Alexander VI might've been a bastard, but he had good taste in art in and architecture."

"Now who's swearing?" Amaryllis remarked, smiling wryly and shaking her head as they stepped up to order. "I have, actually, but I wouldn't mind seeing them again. They're so extravagant, I barely had time to take in all the detail with the guide rushing us from one room to the next."

—∞—

**August 15, 1491  
The city of Rome**

Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia let out a heavy sigh. Although Pope Innocent XIII had been bedridden for several weeks due to an illness of uncertain nature, the old man was now once again up and about.

"Will I never be pope?" He asked his son Cesare as they paced the courtyard of St. Peter's Basilica, near the _Fontana della Pigna_.

"Take care, father. These walls have eyes and ears." Cesare advised carefully in a low voice. It was even more crowded than usual in and around the church, if that was at all possible.

"Yes, yes." Rodrigo said, lowering his own voice to match his son's tone. "It's this blasted heat that riles my temper and fouls my mood. Is it just me, or are the Italian sun's rays even stronger than usual today?"

"The sun feels the same to me as it always does this time of year." Cesare replied calmly.

"Oh, well... Perhaps I am getting old." Rodrigo said a bit grudgingly. "Sometimes I fear I myself shall die of old age before I ever have the chance to become pope… I think I shall retreat to the shade for now." He said with another sigh, leaving his son behind as he headed back indoors.

"And I fear I shall die wearing this collar." Cesare mused somberly to himself in low voice as he crossed his arms behind his back and stared down into the crystal clear water of the fountain's basin, watching the light dance on its surface.

—∞—

"Oh, you cannot be serious." Amaryllis deadpanned, stopping abruptly in front of the _Fontana della Pigna_, when she spotted an unwanted face across the courtyard. They were in the _Courtile della Pigna_ now.

"Is that Teresa?" Valeria asked, squinting, as she shielded her eyes from the sun. "What is she doing here? She the only thing 'cultured' she that likes is pearls." As if she had heard them, Valeria's unwelcome cousin turned her head and looked right at them. She narrowed her eyes briefly at Amaryllis before turning her attention to Valeria, staring expectantly at her.

"Does she expect you to go over to her or something?" Amaryllis asked, rolling her eyes at the older girl's hostility.

"Apparently." Valeria said with a sigh. "I guess I'd better go see what her highness wants."

"Can't we just ignore her? She might be nice to you, but she hates my guts." Amaryllis said.

"That's because you stand up to her." Valeria replied. "I only put up with her because she's family. Ugh, wait here. I need to go and get this over with, or I'll have to listen to her bitching to our parents about how I ignored her when our families get together this Sunday…" She grumbled as she grudgingly trudged over to greet her obnoxious cousin, deciding to spare her friend the verbal abuse.

"Heh. Good luck." Amaryllis called after her friend, whose posture resembled that of a wary soldier marching into battle. She watched the two cousins talk for a minute, but just watching Valeria have to put up with Teresa made her feel sympathetically annoyed, so she turned away to look at the fountain. The way the light reflected off of the water was beautiful, but she couldn't understand what the sculptor was thinking when they decide to put that huge bronze pine cone on top. The two bronze peacocks that were framing it on the sides were nice, but… Seriously, why the pine cone? She remembered hearing something about how it used to be in a courtyard in the old basilica before it was torn down and rebuilt in the early 1600s, but the pine cone had already been part of it then.

Amaryllis was so deep in thought as she stood there staring at it, searching her brain for a fact the guide might have mentioned last time that might help explain this odd choice of ornament, that she didn't notice when Valeria returned and began carefully sneaking up on her from behind.

"Gotcha!" Valeria shouted triumphantly as she jabbed her ticklish friend in the side, amused when the startled Amaryllis let out a yelp of surprise as she jumped about a foot in the air, tripped over the edge of the fountain, and toppled into its basin with a big splash. "Ahaha! I got you good that time! You should know better than to let your guard down around me." Valeria said, grinning broadly, as she laughed. Her laughter died down when she realized Amaryllis wasn't coming back up for air. Had she hit her head? "… Amaryllis?" Valeria's eyes widened in shock when she leaned over the edge to check on her friend and saw that the fountain was completely empty. Her jaw dropped. Her friend was gone! Amaryllis had completely, utterly, and inexplicably vanished without a trace...


	2. Chapter 2

I own nothing but my OC.

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_**Chapter 2: Amaryllis**_

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**August 15, 1491  
The city of Rome**

"Aw! Dammit, Valeria—I'm wearing white a white blouse today…" Amaryllis started to scold her friend as she sat up in the fountain and turned her head to shoot her friend an annoyed glare, only to find herself staring up into the face of a very handsome (dare she say _hot_) young man instead. "Oh, um… hi?" She said a bit dumbly, suddenly at a loss for words.

"Hello…" Cesare replied a little slowly as he stared down at her, stunned to now see a girl where there had been none before. Had his eyes deceived him? He glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed her seemingly miraculous appearance out of thin air, but alas there were now fewer people in the courtyard, and none who remained appeared to have been paying any attention to the fountain, or surely they would look just as shocked as he felt.

"Um, excuse me, but… where am I?" Amaryllis asked tentatively, getting his attention back on her. Now that she was over her initial moment of surprise, she noticed that he was dressed in a version of bishop's robes that matched a set on display in the Vatican museum that was supposed to be from the Renaissance period. The other people she could see from her position in the fountain's basin were also dressed in period costumes. But the biggest surprise of all had to be the change in her surroundings. She seemed to suddenly be in a completely different courtyard now, one that was smaller and more of a square than a rectangle.

"You are in the courtyard of St. Peter's Basilica." Cesare informed the mysterious girl in strange clothing, watching carefully for her reaction. Amaryllis furrowed her brow slightly in confusion.

"What? But the church's courtyard doesn't look like this." Amaryllis said dubiously as she stood up and moved to get out of the fountain. Cesare reflexively held a hand out to her, and she accepted it, using his help to balance, while she held closed the strange and colorful doublet of finely knitted yarn that she was wearing to hide her wet, almost see-through tunic. "Thanks." She said gratefully. Apparently chivalry wasn't dead. "But seriously, what's going on? This was a definitely a different courtyard when I fell in. Was the basin of the fountain moved somehow?" She asked as she buttoned up her light summer sweater, while turning about, looking all around in search for clues. The arched passage ways leading off from the square courtyard were real; definitely not the result of a skillful trompe l'oeil or some other optical allusion. Her eyes widened when she saw the rest of the fountain with the pine cone and peacocks was there too, attached to a solid stone wall. This was way too elaborate for one of Valeria's pranks! "Um… am I being punked, or are you all filming a movie here? How did you set this up so fast?" She asked tentatively, hoping there was a logical explanation.

"Punked? Movie?" Cesare asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. What was this girl talking about? She wasn't mad, was she? It would be tragic if she were; she couldn't be more than a year or two older than his younger sister. They were about the same height, too, though that was where all physical resemblance ended. Unlike his fair sister, this girl was a brunette with hazel eyes and lightly sunkissed skin. She was dressed strangely, like a man, but in feminine colors; and he also noticed she had a gold ring that bore a heart with a small cross in it on the ring finger of the hand she had given him. This girl did not appear to be a member of nobility, but neither did she belong to the mob. She was wearing a cross with several large emeralds set in gold around her neck. The pendant appeared to be much older than the two smaller, round stud emerald earrings she was wearing, because there were fewer scratches on the later, and they shined more. The slippers on her stockingless feet appeared to be gilded with gold from heel to toe. She was also far too clean to be a peasant, even for someone who had just been pulled out of a fountain.

"Wow. You're good." Amaryllis complimented him, impressed with his acting skills. If she didn't know any better, she might think he really didn't understand what she was talking about. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and checked it for damage. "All right, still works!" She remarked with a smile as she ran a finger across the dark screen and it lit up, missing the shocked look on Cesare's face at the sight. "What the… no service?" She asked, frowning in disappointment. Those solar flares must still be acting up. "Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to find Valeria the old fashioned way." She tucked the phone back into her pocket. "Thanks for helping me out of the fountain. My name is Amaryllis, and you are…?" She trailed off as she glanced back up at him, waiting for Cesare to introduce himself.

"Cesare." He replied, quickly wiping the gob-smacked look from his face.

"Cesare." She repeated with a smile, though she was a bit caught off guard by the look of heavy suspicion in his eyes. "Is something wrong, Cesare?"

"That thing in your hand… What is it?" He asked, pointing to the thin black rectangle that was glowing with a light of its own. Amaryllis laughed, but her smile fell when she saw the grim expression on his face.

"Oh my God… You're serious?" She said, staring at him as though she was beginning to question his sanity. "There's no way you've never seen a cell phone before."

"Cell phone?" Cesare asked, somewhat offended by the look she was giving him. "What is a 'cell phone'? How does it make light without a flame? All you did was touch it…"

"Okay, you're seriously starting to weird me out. This isn't funny anymore." She said, frowning, as she began to slowly back away. He was getting way too intense about this. Next thing you knew, he'd be accusing her of witchcraft. "Thanks for your help with getting out of the fountain, but I have to go now." Amaryllis quickly turned on her heel and started to half walk/half jog away, looking for an exit.

"Go where? Who are you?" Cesare demanded as he followed after her, careful to keep his voice even to avoid drawing unwanted attention until he understood exactly what he was dealing with.

"I already told you!" Amaryllis retorted as she picked up the pace, heading for a large, open doorway filled with blue sky. "I—" She stopped short at the top of the steps outside when she saw what was waiting for her at the bottom. Looking down, where there should have been the beautifully paved and vast St. Peter's square and obelisk, was now an unpaved ground filled with masses of people wearing the clothing of Renaissance Italy. The ancient, undeveloped city stretched on for as far as the eye could see. "Where the hell am I…?" She wondered aloud as she gaped at the scene in shock. This was not a set. She knew what she was seeing now was real. No one could fake this.

"Rome." Cesare stated as he grabbed her by the arm and started leading her somewhere less conspicuous for the private conversation he intended to have with her. Stunned and dumbfounded by what she was seeing, Amaryllis let the young bishop lead the way, trailing behind him like a lost child, as she continued to gape at her surroundings, and her surroundings gaped back. In her modern clothing, she stood out like a sore thumb. Only when she found herself being pushed into a dark alley did Amaryllis finally snap out of it and rejoin the real world.

"!" She gasped, whirling around to face Cesare. He watched as she took up a defensive stance, though he could not guess how she intended to defeat a grown man, who was nearly twice her size, unarmed. "I don't know what you intend bringing me here, but you better watch it. I know how to defend myself." She said seriously, glaring evenly at him.

"My only intention is to learn more about you." He stated calmly. "Unless you want me do more?" He added a bit suggestively, leaning close.

She leaned back to maintain the distance between them and quickly shook her head to both decline his offer and clear her head of that attractive smirk. Now was not the time to flirt!

"Very well. Let us get down to business, then. Are you a witch?" He asked as he straightened up, adopting a more serious expression. Amaryllis's jaw dropped. He seriously went there…

"No way! Why would you even think that?" She asked defensively, starting to feel like she might really be in danger. She knew what they did to witches in this time—if he were to publicly accuse her here, where she was so clearly out of place, she would be burned at the stake! It was just a question of whether or not they would torture her in an attempt to get a confession first.

"You appeared out of nowhere, speaking strange and unknown words, carrying a strange device that glowed with a flameless light at your touch." He reminded her. "I think that is a fair assumption in this situation."

"Well, think again." Amaryllis retorted, bristling. With the way she was glaring at him while still dripping water from the fountain, she reminded him of an angry, wet cat. "I know it looks strange to you, but where I come from this is all perfectly normal… Well, okay, the fountain part is weird, but I'm just as confused about how that happened as you are. One minute I'm being poked in the side by my friend and falling face first into a fountain, and the next I resurface in the same fountain, only to find myself in a completely different location surrounded by strangers! And now you accuse me of witchcraft_!_?" She hissed incredulously, careful to keep her voice low so the people passing by on the streets wouldn't hear.

"You seem unnerved by the accusation." He commented shrewdly.

"Duh! Wouldn't you be if you were in my situation?" She snapped defensively. "Do you know how dangerous an accusation like that is? Are you trying to kill me_!_? How am I supposed to defend myself when I can't even explain what happened! Are you going to condemn an innocent girl to death? I don't even believe in magic!"

"If not magic, then what?" Cesare pressed. "How do you explain that black device."

"Science!" Amaryllis exclaimed. "It's science." She stated again more calmly, pausing to take a breath before continuing. She was getting too worked up. She needed to keep a level head here. "Any sufficiently advanced technology can be indistinguishable from magic to a significantly less developed culture." She said, remembering one of Clarke's Three Laws.

"Less developed?" Cesare said dubiously. "We are in the land that is the birthplace of the renaissance movement, home to some of the world's greatest minds, and you claim to hail from a more 'advanced' land." He shook his head at her. "Tell me, where exactly is it that you come from? I've never seen clothing like yours before. Where is this land where women dress like men and hold tablets of light in their hands?" At this, the strange girl's confidence seem to shrink, and she adopted a more cautious demeanor as she gazed at him with troubled expression in her eyes.

"You wouldn't believe me if it told you." She replied solemnly with real regret. Amaryllis was beginning to feel like she may be fighting a losing battle. She might have to make a run for it soon. "It's impossible. You'd think I was insane."

"Try me." Cesare said, bracing himself.

"… I'm from the future." She said, expecting him to laugh or denounce her.

Cesare just blinked as he continued to stare at her. He had _not_ been expecting that. Was this girl serious?

"You have already said your homeland was more advanced…"

"No, I don't mean metaphorically, I mean literally—I am _literally_ from the future." Amaryllis insisted. "So far into the future that the country I was born in doesn't even exist yet." She raised a hand to stop Cesare when he opened his mouth to speak again. "I know how it sounds, but sometimes truth _is_ stranger than fiction. I don't know how or why, but somehow when I fell into that fountain, I fell over 500 years into the past, into your present. That's why the technology I have on me is so advanced that it looks like magic to you. It's the result of the culmination of five centuries' worth of knowledge and discoveries. "Just look at the printing press. If you showed that to someone from 500 years before your time, they might think it was a form of magic too if they heard how easily it could mass produce printed copies of manuscripts, when such a thing would have been inconceivable to them from their prospective, given what they knew at the time."

Cesare stared at her, looking for any sign that she might be lying to him. He saw none.

"… You really expect me to believe you are from the future?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her. There was some logic in her argument, but it was still rather far-fetched. A witch would have made more sense.

"It's up to you whether you choose to believe it or not." Amaryllis replied with quiet determination as she clenched her fists at her side. "But I am _not_ a witch. I'm just an ordinary girl in a not so ordinary situation. The only other explanation I can think of to explain this bizarre turn of events is that I hit my head when I fell into the fountain, and I'm dreaming… in which case, I would hope Valeria would have the good sense to pull me out before I drowned."

"I would think the second option you just listed would be the more reasonable conclusion… But you cannot be dreaming, because I am awake." Cesare told her with the hint of a wry smile on his lips.

"Perhaps you fell asleep without realizing it." Amaryllis said with a shrug. "Perhaps we're both dreaming."

"If this is a dream, then the consequences of our actions are of little value. We can do whatever we like." He said, taking a step closer as he stared down into her hazel eyes.

"If this is a dream, then I would like to walk through the city with you for a while before trying to return home. Even though you're a priest, you can still hold hands with a woman, can't you?" She asked, holding out her hand to him with a small smile. There was something magnetic about this guy. Even though she knew she should probably still be wary of him, she felt drawn to him, and the fact that he was a priest made her feel safe on an instinctive level as a Catholic. A priest wouldn't do anything bad, right? Even though this period in the Church's history was marred by corruption, not all holy men had been like that, and if Cesare wanted to hurt her, he probably could have done so by now. All he had to do was shout 'Witch!', but instead he had calmly listened to her side of the story before condemning her.

"Even though I'm a priest, I have already done much more than that." Cesare admitted with a sly smirk as he slipped his hand into hers and started leading her back out onto the main streets. Now that he was no longer looking at her with eyes of suspicion, he was beginning to find this girl quite charming. She was strange but amiable, and the impish yet innocent gleam in her eyes at that moment reminded him of his dear sister.

There was a hint of blush on Amaryllis's cheeks as she looked up at him with a wry smile. Okay, so maybe he _was_ corrupt. But it wasn't creepy. He didn't look too much older than herself. It almost felt like she was talking to one of her guy friends back home.

"Are you trying to tempt me?" She asked a little coyly.

"Perhaps." He replied with a roguish grin. "Is it working?" Her whole face lit up as she laughed. Her eyes sparkled as she looked ahead.

"Hmm, making out with a hot priest… that might be a bit too naughty even for a dream. Suggesting such a thing, how do I know you aren't the devil in disguise?"

"I hide no horns beneath my biretta." He said, lifting his cornered bishop's cap in jest to prove his point. He wasn't sure what 'making out' meant, but he assumed it at least had something to do with kissing, if not more.

"I think we both know the devil doesn't really come to you with a red face an horns." She replied slyly. "No, I think he would come to you disguised as everything you've ever wanted." Cesare noted she seemed to have a far off look in her eyes as she said this, as though she had someone particular in mind.

"Have you met the devil, then?" He asked.

"I may have, once." She said with a wan smile before squaring her shoulders. "But I won't be taken for a fool." She added with determination shining in her eyes. "That's why I wear this ring." She said, holding up her left hand to show him the gold ring. "It reminds me to behave myself."

"Oh? And how does it do that?" Cesare asked curiously. "Does it light up as well?"

"No, nothing like that." Amaryllis replied with a smile. "This ring just represents the vow of chastity I took two years ago, when I was fourteen."

"You took a vow of chastity? Are you planning to become a nun?" He asked curiously. If she was sixteen now, then that made her three years older than his sweet sister and only two years younger than himself.

"Oh, God, no." She laughed. "I'm nowhere near _that_ disciplined. I enjoy too many other vices to ever be able to take it that far. This vow only lasts until marriage. Then I can have all the sex I want. I'm just doing this as a way to guard my heart from being too easily taken advantage of. If a guy is willing to wait, then I'll know he's serious. If not, well, at least I won't have given everything to a boy who changed his mind."

"Ah, I see." Cesare said with a small smile. Perhaps he should have Lucrezia do the same.

"Huh." Amaryllis said thoughtfully to herself before laughing abruptly when something occurred to her.

"What is it?" Cesare asked, wondering if he had missed a piece of conversation.

"I just realized… from the point of view of the people back home, it must look like I disappeared into thin air, on the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I bet that'll cause a fuss." She said with a wry smile, glancing at him.

"Hm." Cesare let out a quiet, sardonic laugh of his own. "If your aim was heaven, then I am afraid you've missed your mark."

"You're telling me. I've somehow managed to land myself in the middle of one of the most corrupt ages of the Church—no offense."

"None taken." Cesare replied calmly. "It's true, after all. And I do not wear the ecclesiastical collar by choice."

"No, you don't seem like any priest I've met before." She commented, studying him out the corner of her eye. Amaryllis wondered if his family had pressured him into it. It wasn't uncommon back then for rich families to buy their sons positions of power within the church, and if Cesare was already a bishop at his age, he must have started his career in the church really young. There was nothing worse than having religion forcefully shoved down your throat. There was a time when she had been tempted to become an atheist after experiencing that sickening feeling for herself. "You look like you lack a certain 'inner peace'." She mused aloud.

"Hah! It would seem you are sharper than I first gave you credit for." Cesare said, earning himself a look. "Do I really seem so troubled?"

Looking closer, she saw in his eyes that he truly was. He looked like that collar was choking him.

"Brother!" A young, feminine voice called out before she could reply, breaking the spell they were under.

"Lucrezia!" Cesare exclaimed, letting go of Amaryllis's hand to embrace his little sister as she threw herself into his arms. "What are you doing out by yourself?"

"I'm not alone! I came with a maid." Lucrezia corrected her older brother brightly with a smile.

"I see no maid." Cesare told her.

"Oh. It appears I have lost her…" Lucrezia said as she glanced around, trailing off when she realized her brother was right.

"Does mother know you are out?" He asked with a wry smile, hoping his mischievous sister had at least gotten permission for her little adventure.

"I left a note." Lucrezia replied, looking down as she played absently with the fringe of her sleeve.

"Then she shall be doubly worried when she finds it, for then she will know for certain you are not where you should be." He told her, leaning down to gently bump his forehead against hers. "Let us return before she discovers your misadventure."

"I'm afraid she already has, brother." Lucrezia said. "It has been a good two hours since I left home."

"Then all is lost. You shall no doubt be punished severely for causing her so much grief. She will lock you and throw away the key, sis." He teased.

"Oh, no!" Lucrezia exclaimed in dismay. "Then I shall have to make the most of my outing while I still can!" She decided, taking him by the hand. She paused and blinked when she finally realized her brother was not alone. "Brother, who is this lady you have with you? Why is she all wet? And why is she dressed so strangely?" Lucrezia asked innocently with no ill intent as she looked Amaryllis up and down. Her eyes lit up when they landed on her feet. "Ah! She has golden shoes, like a character out of a fairy tale!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Ah." Cesare said, glancing back at Amaryllis, who was wearing a Mona Lisa smile on her face as she glanced between the two siblings. How should he explain the time traveler? "This is Amaryllis. I found her in a fountain." He told his little sister, deciding to keep it simple.

"A fountain?" Lucrezia said, tilting her head slightly in confusion. "Whatever were you doing in there?" She asked Amaryllis curiously.

"Well, it was hot… so I decided to take a quick dip to cool off." Amaryllis replied pleasantly.

"Ah, I see. I have often wanted to try that myself." Lucrezia admitted, nodding sagely. Cesare raised an eyebrow. It would seem his sister had found a kindred spirit. "But Mother would scold me." She added quickly. "You said your name was Amaryllis? Like the flower?"

"Yes, like the flower." Amaryllis said with a smile, deciding she rather liked Cesare's little sister. "But it has more to do with my father's interest in ancient Greek myths. He was the one who named me. Would you like to hear the story?"

"Oh, yes! I love stories." Lucrezia said as her eyes lit up with interest. "Is it romantic?"

"Well, I think it is. Legend has it that the amaryllis flower began as a shy, timid nymph named Amaryllis. Amaryllis fell deeply in love with Alteo, a shepherd with Hercules' strength and Apollo's beauty, but her affections were unrequited." Amaryllis explained. "Hoping that she could win him over by bestowing upon him the thing he desired most, a flower so unique it had never existed in the world before, Amaryllis sought advice from the oracle of Delphi. Then, following his instructions, Amaryllis dressed in maiden's white and appeared at Alteo's door for 30 nights, each time piercing her heart with a golden arrow. When at last Alteo opened his door, there before him was a striking crimson flower, sprung from the blood of Amaryllis's heart. With this romantic, albeit tragic, tale as its beginning, the amaryllis has come to symbolize pride, determination, and radiant beauty."

"I think I like your father." Lucrezia decided aloud. "I should like to meet him."

"And I'm sure he would like to meet you, if he were able. But I'm sorry to say my father isn't here, and I must leave to return to him soon." Amaryllis told her with an apologetic smile.

"Must you?" Lucrezia asked, looking immensely disappointed as she pouted and stared up at her with big, sad eyes. Amaryllis had to avert her own eyes from the guilt-inspiring cuteness for a moment.

"I'm afraid I must, or I may not be able to return home." She replied, sharing a significant glance with Cesare. Amaryllis was cool with hanging out for a little while, but she was beginning to feel like Cinderella at the ball. The sun looked like it was already starting to set. It was later in the day than she had thought, and she wasn't willing to bet that whatever door she had inadvertently slipped through would stay open beyond 24 hours. This kind of thing usually had a time limit in movies, didn't it?

"At any rate, we have already reached our home, Lucrezia." Cesare reminded his sister, stopping them in front of the open gates of their family's urban villa before they passed them by. "You must bid the amiable Amaryllis farewell and go inside to accept mother's punishment for sneaking out."

"Goodbye, dear nymph." Lucrezia said, as she favored Amaryllis with a hug, pouting at her older brother for putting an end to her fun. It wasn't every day that she got to go out and meet someone new who was so interesting and agreeable. Most people tended to look down her and her brothers for some reason.

"Goodbye, sweet Lucrezia." Amaryllis said with a small smile, returning the younger girl's embrace. "Goodbye, Cesare." She added once Lucrezia released her, bowing her head politely to the handsome bishop since it she felt it would have been awkward trying to curtsey in pants.

"Why do you say goodbye?" Cesare asked, looking slightly taken aback.

"Well, isn't this your home?" She asked, blinking. "I thought you would be going in with Lucrezia."

"And I thought I would walk you back. It's dangerous for a woman to walk the streets alone at night." He said, giving her a pointed look.

"Yes, please let Cesare walk with you!" Lucrezia said urgently, genuinely concerned for her safety.

"Don't worry, I can handle myself." Amaryllis said, with a wave of her hand. "I know how to fight, and I have confidence that I can win in fair one."

"And if it isn't fair?" Cesare asked.

"Then I'll have to get a little help from this." She replied, tapping her emerald cross.

"I see..." Cesare said with a hint of skepticism. So, she didn't believe in magic, yet she thought a cross could protect her? "Are you sure you can find your way back?"

"My good sense of direction is one of the few things I can brag about." Amaryllis replied with a smirk. "I paid attention to where we were going on the way in and made a mental map. I can find my from here to there without a problem as long as I have light to see. Thank you for walking with me, Cesare, Lucrezia. _Ciao_!" She bid them farewell with a smile and wave as she turned and headed back to the fountain.

"She is a strange girl, but she amuses me, Cesare. I think I rather like her." Lucrezia said with a smile, glancing up at her brother.

"Yes. I think I do, too." Cesare agreed, watching as Amaryllis walked down the path towards the darkening horizon, alone and without fear.

"You _are_ going to follow after her to make she reaches her destination safely, are you not, brother?" Lucrezia asked.

"Of course, dear sister." He replied with a smile, placing a hand atop her head. To be honest, he was curious about whether or not jumping back into the fountain would actually work. If it did, then that was a phenomena he would like to witness for himself.


	3. Chapter 3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

**_Chapter 3: Testing the Waters  
_**

* * *

"Okay, this is it." Amaryllis said, taking a breath as she stood balanced on the edge of the fountain. Time to take the plunge. She put one foot forth and let herself fall forward into the water.

SPLASH!

Amaryllis pushed herself up into a sitting position and blinked away the water in her eyes until she could see again.

"No…" She gasped when she saw that she was still in the courtyard of the old basilica. She quickly scrambled back out of the fountain and climbed up on the edge again.

SPLASH!

"No." She said, furrowing her brow as she climbed again.

SPLASH!

SPLASH!

SPLASH!

Cesare watched from the covered archway as Amaryllis repeatedly tried jumping into the fountain over and over again without pause. Hot, salty tears of frustration began to mingle with the cool, fresh water in the fountain. But still, she kept trying. Again and again, she tried countless different ways of jumping into the fountain. With each failure, she became more desperate, but she never stopped trying.

"SPLASH!"

This time Amaryllis slipped and busted her lip on the edge of the fountain. "No. No. No!" She shouted beating her fists against the hard stone, feeling utterly helpless. Cesare quickly stepped forward and crossed the yard, kneeling down to grab her hands before she could do any more damage to them. The palms of her hands had been rubbed raw from repeatedly gripping the ledge as she climbed out, and the skin on their sides was scratched and bleeding from being beaten against the stone. She hadn't held back at all.

"Let me go!" She screamed in frustration, struggling to break free.

"No!" He said sternly, tightening his grip on her wrists. "Not until you calm down. You're going to hurt yourself!"

"But I have to get back!" She cried, trembling, as she looked up at him with a desperate determination burning in her green eyes. "I'm the only family my father has left. It nearly killed him when my mother died. I can't put him through something like that again… I can't." She said in a low voice, as tear rolled down her cheek.

"… From what I have heard of your father, he would not want you to hurt yourself like this." Cesare said gently, loosening his grip as he slowly moved his hands from her wrists to cup her hands in his. "You can do nothing more here. Come, spend the night with me and my family, and then we shall see what tomorrow brings. Perhaps the fountain only works the hour of the day at which you first appeared. You can come back and try again then."

"Thanks, but I have no way to repay you." Amaryllis said. "You accused me of witchcraft when we first met. What if others do the same? My presence could put your family in danger."

"You needn't worry about us." Cesare replied with the hint of a smirk. "We can handle ourselves. For tonight, you can buy your room by regaling our Lucrezia with more tales of nymphs. And if you find yourself in need of a place to stay beyond that… Well, I'm sure we will be able to come to some sort of arrangement, should the need arise." He said, reaching out to move a lock of stray wet hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ear. "Come." He told her in a gentle but firm voice, taking her by the hand so he could lead her away from the fountain.

"I'm not crazy." Amaryllis said aloud after they had been walking for some time. Cesare glanced back at her and saw that she was still deeply troubled by her failure to return home through the fountain. "It really did work before…!"

"I know." Cesare told her. He had seen her mysterious arrival with his own eyes. "I know, so—" He stopped abruptly when a group of three men suddenly rushed out from a side street to surround them.

"Give us your valuables, or we'll—umph!" The man facing Amaryllis never got to finish his threat because she cut him off with kick to the face. It was an instant K.O.

"Sorry, but I'm really not in the mood for this crap right now." She deadpanned as the unconscious man sank to the ground, and the others stared at her in shock. Cesare was the first to recover, and he used the opportunity to elbow one of the men before him in the face and steal his sword while he was distracted, but before he could turn to deal with the next one, he felt cold steel press against his skin.

"Drop it." The third man growled dangerously as he held a knife to Cesare's neck, silently threatening to kill him if he didn't comply.

"No, _you_ drop it." Amaryllis told the thief sternly as she pressed the tip of the small knife she had in her hand against the back of his neck. Her blade was only a couple of inches long, but it was sharp. When he failed to immediately comply, she applied more pressure to show him she meant business, drawing a small drop of blood. The thief dropped his knife. "Good boy." Amaryllis patronized him with a smile as she withdrew her knife and knocked him out with a blow to the back of the head. She slid her small blade back into its sheath, which Cesare could now see was her emerald cross. The bottom of part of the pendant was actually the handle of a hidden blade. "What?" She asked when she noticed how he was staring at her. "I told you I could fight."

"Yes, so you did. I'm impressed." He replied genuinely, though it hurt his ego a little to have been saved by a young girl like herself. He was going to have start practicing more.

"Thanks. My mom taught me." She said with a proud smirk. "Now, let's get out of here before they wake up!"

"By the way…" Amaryllis said as Cesare's home came into view again. "I know this is a little late, but exactly what year is it?" that would be good to know so she could avoid mentioning things and events that weren't supposed to exist or have happened yet.

"The year of our Lord, 1491." He replied, glancing at her. "And something else you are late in asking, is my family name. Shall I tell you the name of your hosts?"

"Um, yes, that would help…" She admitted a bit sheepishly, biting her lip.

"The villa belongs to my mother, Vanozza Cattaneo. It was given to her by my father, Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia. And my brother, Juan—"

"—Borgia_!_?" Amaryllis exclaimed in shock and surprise as her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Oh my God, of course! 'Cesare' _and_ 'Lucrezia'… Ah, I'm so freakin' slow! I can't believe I didn't realize sooner…!"

"Problem?" Cesare asked a bit tightly, furrowing his brow slightly, as he wondered if she had something against his family (like most of Rome).

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it." Amaryllis said quickly. "It's just that where I come from, your family is pretty infamous… but you and your sister seem nice enough. She's downright adorable." She added with a wry smile. But knowing what history said they were capable of, she was beginning to wonder if staying with his family was such a good idea now that she knew she'd be practically entering the lion's den, but it's not like she really had a lot of other options… She could try sleeping out on the street, but with her jewelry, that probably wasn't a good idea. She might end up getting jumped by another gang…

"Hn. So, even in your time, my family's reputation suffers…" Cesare mused somewhat bitterly.

Well, they had kind of earned it, but Amaryllis wisely decided to keep her mouth shut rather than mention it. Technically, they hadn't actually done anything yet. People were just prejudiced back then (or now) because they didn't like the idea of Spaniards having so much power in Rome.

"Well, I wouldn't let it bother you too much, if I were you." She said instead. "No matter what, haters gonna hate. You might as well do what you want since they're gonna talk shit about you anyway."

"You may want to temper that tongue of yours around the others." He advised her as a smile threatened to form on his lips at her odd turn of phrase. "First impressions."

"Right." Amaryllis nodded, taking note of his suggestion. She wanted to make a good impression so they would let her stay. "Speaking of which… what are they going to think of me if they see me in these clothes?" She asked curiously with a raised eyebrow. "Where I come from, this a perfectly normal and acceptable form of dress, but here…"

"I see your point." Cesare said. "Perhaps my sister would be willing to lend you a dress. You are more or less the same size."

"Hmm… a sixteen-year-old with the body of a thirteen-year-old… not sure how I feel about that." She admitted. Well, in this case, she should probably consider herself lucky since it was hard to find a ready-made dress on the fly in this era.

–∞–

Amaryllis tried not to look as nervous as she felt sitting there at the Borgia family's dinner table. Somehow, Cesare had managed to smooth talk them into letting her stay with a story about how she had become separated from her father and left destitute in an unfamiliar city. So here she was, trying not to make a fool of herself in front of the first Italian 'crime family'. Lucrezia had been delighted to see Amaryllis again, and only too happy to lend her an outfit to change into while Cesare prepared the rest of his family to meet their unusual last-minute guest. All Amaryllis had to do was promise the younger girl another story and let her try on her gold shoes. But as for the rest of them… The cardinal was eyeing her critically, their mother seemed to be silently appraising her every move, and she didn't care much for the way their brother Juan was watching her either.

"I didn't quite catch your name, Signorina…?" Juan said with the hint of a smirk, attempting to strike up a conversation with their pretty visitor.

"Amaryllis Aritza." Amaryllis replied politely.

"Aritza… Is your family from Spain?" Rodrigo asked, perking up slightly at the thought of meeting another Spaniard so far from home.

"Yes, on my father's side. His family is Spanish and Basque. Supposedly, we're related to the first king of Navarra." She answered with a pleasant smile.

"Oh? On what side?" He asked curiously.

"The wrong side of the sheets." Amaryllis replied, implying she was descended from a bastard line, calmly taking another sip of wine as they stared at her with varying degrees of bemused amusement.

"What does that mean?" Lucrezia asked innocently, having never heard the euphemism before, while her father and Juan let out a laugh and Cesare and her mother smiled wryly in amusement.

"You'll know when you're older." Vanozza told her curious daughter.

Lucrezia pouted slightly. That seemed to be her mother's answer to a lot of her questions.

"So, what does your father do?" Rodrigo asked with a twinkle of amusement still in his dark eyes.

"My father is an archaeologist." Amaryllis said with a smile warmed by fond memories. "He studies human activity of the past by looking at clues left behind by ancient civilizations of their material culture, like the artifacts, architecture, and ruins left behind by the old Roman empire, and so on. In fact, my father specializes in the study of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. I have been all over Europe with my father chasing after Greco-Roman relics."

"Ah, an antiquarian." Rodrigo said. "I hear their primary focus is usually genealogy, and they often accumulate a cabinet of curiosities through their efforts. Treasure hunters, of a sort."

"Yes, but instead of focusing primarily on our own family's genealogy, my father focused on the more general cultural heritage of the countries and empires themselves." Amaryllis explained. "And whatever treasure my father finds, he gives away."

"He gives it away? But surely you must keep some of it." Juan said dubiously. Otherwise, what was the point of looking?

Amaryllis shook her head.

"We don't keep anything for ourselves. All of the artifacts my father finds go to places where they will be protected and cared for while on display for the public to see. They're preserved for posterity. The digs are usually financed by a third party, and they pay my father to work. It's usually a very modest salary, but we get by. The main thing is he enjoys what he does, and I enjoy being able to travel with him."

"That sounds exciting, being able to see the world. I haven't even seen all of Rome!" Lucrezia exclaimed with open admiration. "Have you seen all of Rome?"

"I've seen most of it, though it is now very different from the last time I was here…" Amaryllis said tentatively with a wry smile. All of the modern landmarks she usually used to navigate were gone.

"And your mother?" Vanozza asked.

"My mother was an anthropologist. She was a professional scholar who specialized in studying what it means to be 'human'." Amaryllis explained, noticing the questioning look Lucrezia directed at her. "Since she had a special interest in tribal cultures, she would sometimes live with the natives in order to study them and learn their ways, and she would take me with her on occasion. But more often than not, I was with my father. After the incident with the crocodile, they decided that would be safer..."

"What incident?" Juan asked.

"I was almost eaten by one." Amaryllis stated matter-of-factly, catching them all off-guard.

"What_!_?" Lucrezia exclaimed excitedly with wide eyes.

"Wherever did you run into a crocodile?" Cesare asked, bemused.

"Africa, of course." Amaryllis replied nonchalantly.

"Is that true?" Lucrezia asked.

"Absolutely. I had absolutely no sense of self-preservation as a child, so I was always getting into all sorts of trouble." Amaryllis replied with a cheeky grin. "As a result, my mother was always scolding me."

"I can sympathize." Vanozza said with a wry smile and appointed glance at her own daughter, earning a laugh from the others and a pout from Lucrezia. "But do you not see your mother anymore?" She asked. "You only speak of her in the past tense."

"She passed away several years ago." Amaryllis replied, looking down.

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

"It's all right." Amaryllis said quietly. She put on a smile as she looked up again. "The ones we love never really leave us. She's still with me in here, and in here." She said pointing to her mind and heart.

"You must miss her." Lucrezia said softly.

"I do." Amaryllis said with a wan smile. "But she threatened to come back and haunt me if I cried too much about it."

"It sounds like your mother was quite a character." Cesare commented with a wry smile.

"I've been told I take after her." Amaryllis stated proudly. "But I'm secretly a romantic at heart, so in that respect I also take after my father."

"Cesare briefly mentioned something about the two of you being separated?" Rodrigo asked. Poor thing, losing her mother and now her father… The Cardinal had always had a soft spot for beautiful destitute women, and the fact that she looked only a year or two older than his own daughter made him feel all the more sympathetic.

"Yes, we were…" Amaryllis said sadly, looking down again. "And, unfortunately, I have been unable to find him again. I've looked all over, but he seems to have gone somewhere beyond my reach. I was even accosted by a group of thieves!" She drew their attention to her injured hands by wringing them nervously. "Not only have I lost my father, but I have no money and no place to go. Since we're always traveling and moving around a lot, we have no permanent home. And I don't know anyone I can stay with in this city… I would gladly work to earn my keep if someone was willing to take me in while I continue to search for my father…" She normally didn't like stooping to this tactic, but judging by the size of the villa and all the finery around her, they could more than afford another mouth to feed. If not, they might at least be able to refer her to someone who was hiring, right?

Although he knew most of the anxiety being displayed by Amaryllis was genuine, Cesare was somewhat impressed with how adept she was at bending the truth. Even his shrewd father seemed to be buying her story.

"My dear…" The cardinal said, taking Vanozza by the hand.

"I understand." Vanozza said with a small smile. "Until you find your father, you can stay with us." She told Amaryllis.

* * *

Author's note: I have added links to pictures of Amaryllis and her outfits to my profile for anyone curious enough to look.


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

**_Chapter 4: Let the Games Begin_**

* * *

**July 25, 1492  
Rome**

Days turned into weeks and months into a year, and still Amaryllis found herself unable to return home. Thankfully, the Borgias didn't seem to mind, because they ended up treating her more like a ward than a servant, and thanks to her intelligence and wit, she had pretty much become something of a live-in personal assistant/secretary to the family. It was a pretty sweet deal, all things considered. One thing that had really surprised her was when she started reading up on some contemporary documents of the era and learned that there were some _major _discrepancies between what was actually going on and what she had learned in history class. One or two things, she could have let go, but when she began to hear about things like how Sancha of Aragon was known to be Alfonso II of Naples' illegitimate sister here, when Amaryllis knew for sure that she was supposed to be his daughter, Amaryllis began to realize that she hadn't just gone back in time, she apparently hopped over into a parallel universe, too! As disturbing as the idea of that was, at least it meant she didn't have to worry about screwing the timeline up too much, because it was already different from her world's to begin with. Cesare had been understandably confused and bewildered when she tried to explain the concept of parallel worlds and wormholes to him, seeing as the world he grew up in still hadn't gotten past geocentrism, but she countered his skepticism by pointing out that God could do whatever he wanted. Why not make more than one world while he was at it?  
Anyway, this meant they couldn't use her as a human cheat sheet since things were different, and it also probably made getting back to her own world a little more complicated. She was just going to have to do her best to survive until she could figure out a way back to her father, or at least find a way to let him know she was all right…

Amaryllis was making her way through the Borgia family's villa to the room she had secretly nicknamed the 'love shack', since Cesare and Juan often made use of for one night stands. She thought Cesare might need a wake up call, but as she stepped out into the courtyard, she spotted Lucrezia peeping through the partially opened window and heard sounds of ecstasy emanating from the room that indicated her services as a human alarm clock would not be needed. Amaryllis caught Lucrezia's eye when the younger girl ducked down just outside the window, the peeping girl smiled impishly and held a finger to her lips. Amaryllis smiled wryly and shook her head as she turned and left to lay out Cesare's bishop's ceremonial dress since she knew he would be needing it and to prepare a something quick that he could eat on the go for breakfast. She could get the servants to do it, but it still felt sort of weird to have other people trying to do everything for her, and doing it herself was usually faster anyway. She would leave getting Cesare out of the room to Lucrezia. By now, she was mostly used to the particular brand of weirdness that abounded in this house.

Lucrezia knocked on the window to get her brother's attention and giggled as she ducked and gathered up her skirts as she began tiptoeing to peek around the corner, preparing to run.

"Sister!" Cesare, who had only partially buttoned up his black priest's robes over his white chemise before rushing out, called out in playful warning as he stepped into the courtyard and spied his mischievous little sister. Lucrezia laughed as she ran across the courtyard and he came chasing after her.

"I spied a lady—another one!" She sang, giggling as she weaved in and out of the arches around the courtyard to elude her brother.

"There's a punishment for spying." Cesare teased as he tried to catch her.

"What's that?" Lucrezia asked.

"Oh, I think you know." He said, lunging towards her.

"No!" Lucrezia laughed and squealed with delight as she jumped back and made a nother run for it.

"Ah!" Cesare finally managed to catch his giggling sister. In one swift movement, he had her lying on her back on the grass with him hovering over her in a very intimate position.

"Can I come to your wedding?" Lucrezia asked as she let out a another laugh, staring up into his eyes.

"I'll never have a wedding, you know that." Cesare reminded her.

"No. You are betrothed to God." Lucrezia said, smiling, as she ran her finger over the stubble on her brother's handsome chin. "Don't you love God, Cesare?" She asked when he didn't smile. Cesare glanced a away briefly before looking back down at her with a wry smile.

"More than you?" He asked. Lucrezia's smiled deepened as she let out a laugh.

"Don't be sad, brother." She told him, propping herself up slightly as he rolled onto his side to lay next to her. "Maybe Papa will become pope, and you can be who you want to be." She said hopefully.

"If he does become pope, I'll be what _he_ wants me to be." Cesare remarked sorely. Having Amaryllis around had made the collar a little easier to bear, since he had found he could confide in her in a way that he could not to the rest of his family, who all had high expectations of him... but he still wanted out.

"Can a pope have children, Cesare?" Lucrezia asked, causing him to glance back up at her.

"I've heard it rumored that Pope Innocent has twelve." Cesare replied with a grin, nuzzling his nose against hers playfully.

"But I have also heard it rumored that he is dying." Lucrezia said.

"No news in that. He's been dying for weeks now." Cesare said. Actually, a while back Amaryllis had stated with a rather unnerving certainty that Innocent was supposed to die sometime this very month.

"If he does die, will our father wear his crown?" Lucrezia asked.

"The new pope will be elected by the College of Cardinals, my love." Cesare said, stroking her soft cheek affectionately. "And only God can predict the outcome."

"Well, since you will have no wedding," Lucrezia said, lying back on the grass, "I will pray for God to choose Papa. I want to wear a beautiful white veil crowned with pearls for his coronation."

"God may need some help, then." Cesare said.

"Which is why you need to get up and get dressed." Amaryllis deadpanned as she walked over holding a plate with a tomato, lettuce, and mozzarella sandwich on it in one hand, and his purple dress robes draped over her other arm. "It's _time_ Cesare." She said meaningfully.

"What?" He asked, sitting up immediately. "It's today?"

"I tried to remind you last night, but you were a little… 'busy'." Amaryllis said with a shrug as he ripped off his black robe and took the purple one from her, quickly pulling it on over his chemise. "I put your cape, biretta, and cross by the door next to your shoes. Eat this on your way out." She directed him, nodding at the sandwich. "If you leave now, you might be able to get in to see your father for some last minute conspiring before they close the doors."

"Ah! What would I do without you?" Cesare asked rhetorically as he grabbed the sandwich and gave both girls a kiss on the head. Bringing Amaryllis into their home had to be one of the best decisions he had ever made. She was more than just a capable assistant. To him, she had become a loyal and trustworthy friend, a true rarity. "Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone, and don't go into the city today unless you have to." He instructed them before rushing off. It was always chaotic during the interim between the death of an old pope and the election of a new one.

"And to think, only moments ago, my brother was upset that he was a priest…" Lucrezia commented as the two girls stared after him.

"He still is." Amaryllis said with a wry smile. "He's just reliable enough to do what needs to be done anyway."

—∞—

As Cesare raced through the square of St. Peter's, he saw that it had already begun to fill with a rowdy crowd.

"What have they heard?" He demanded of one of the guards as he entered the Vatican.

"The pope breathes his last." The guard replied dutifully.

"God rest his soul." Cesare murmured, performing the sign of the cross as he swept past the guard and continued on his way to find his father as the doors were shut behind him. He met his father as he was exiting the Papal apartments after paying his last respects to the late Pope Innocent VIII.

"What are you doing here?" Rodrigo asked his son, a little surprised to see him there without having to be called. "Has the news spread so far already?"

"You can thank a certain woman's 'intuition'." Cesare replied as Rodrigo put his arm around him and began leading him back towards the doors.

"Amaryllis? I might've known. Her knack for making such predictions is uncanny." Rodrigo said thoughtfully. Knowing that girl, she will have already arranged for their kitchen and larder to be stocked with food so they wouldn't have to venture out during the coming election. "You did well to come, but we must get you out of here before they lock the doors."

"And so it begins."

"You know what to do?"

"Yes, father."

"Keep our family safe. Until the new pope is elected, it will be anarchy in Rome; every faction fighting for its own candidate… and if, after the first vote, the smoke is black—"

"As you said, father, I know what to do." Cesare said, pulling ahead as they began to shut and lock all the shutters for the windows to the outside.

Evidently Rodrigo was not satisfied with his response, because he grabbed Cesare by the back of his collar and spun him around so that he was facing him again.

"I have waited a lifetime for this moment." He whispered urgently. "We will go over it _again._ If we fail at the first vote, I will send word…"

"On the wings of a dove—" Cesare finished.

"—_Names_ of those cardinals who need persuading…"

"With properties, benefices, and if need be, gold. They call it Simony, father."

"God will forgive us, my son." Rodrigo said quickly, dismissing his worries with a wave of his hand. "But _I_ will _not_ forgive failure, from you or your brother. _Am I understood?"_ He demanded sternly, holding Cesare back as he turned to leave.

"We will not fail you, father." Cesare swore solemnly, looking him straight in the eye.

Rodrigo nodded in approval.

"Mm." He said as his lips curved into a tight smile. He placed his hands on the sides of his son's face and kissed his cheeks. "Go now." Rodrigo told Cesare, finally releasing him with a pat on the cheek.

–∞–

Just when he thought the day couldn't get any more stressful, Cesare came upon a great commotion on his way home. To his chagrin, he discovered the source of it was a fight, and in the center of it was Juan, trying to fight off multiple opponents.

"Excuse me." Cesare said as he grabbed hold of the sword at the waist of the bystanders and drew it from its sheath as he stepped into the fray to aid his troublesome brother.

_CLANG._

In the nick of time, Cesare swiftly knocked the sword of the man about to stab his brother to the side and held his own against the man's neck to prevent any further movement.

"My brother speaks before he thinks." Cesare stated calmly. "He begs your pardon." He kept his sword trained on the man while Juan stood up and brushed himself off. Cesare didn't lower it until his brother's opponents began sheathing their swords. Carefully, he leaned down, retrieved his brother's sword, and handed it back to him. "I should have let them do it." Cesare said as he brushed past Juan.

"Your younger brother? Father would never have forgiven you." Juan said with a smirk as he sheathed his sword before following after his older brother.

"Have you heard?" Cesare asked as he entered the courtyard, where he found his mother playing cards with his other two younger siblings and Amaryllis.

Normally Amaryllis would have shown a bit more respect for the death of a pope, but to be honest she had very little respect for Innocent VIII because. Let's face it, he was no Pope John Paul II.

"Even Gioffre has heard." Vanozza replied. "Have you not?" She asked her youngest son.

"The pope has died." Gioffre said.

"Do you know what that means?" Cesare asked.

Gioffre shook his head.

"I know there will be an election." Vanozza said.

"And the city will be bedlam until it's over." Juan said as he, too, joined them.

"Do you think our father can win, Juan?" Lucrezia asked, while Amaryllis took her turn in the game, and Cesare took a seat in the empty chair between her and Gioffre.

"Are we allowed to dream, mother?" Juan asked.

"Your father found ways to love an care for us in this house, but I'm not sure as pope he can do the same." Vanozza replied.

"As pope he can do what he wants." Juan said as he turned back to face her.

"Are you sure?" Vanozza asked.

"Unfortunately, kings, popes, and emperors belong to their peoples." Amaryllis said while Vanozza took her turn.

"Not to their families." Vanozza added as she nodded in agreement.

"So, we allow the election to run its course, and he won't be pope." Cesare said, earning a side glance from Amaryllis.

"What other course is there?" Vanozza asked with a small smile as Lucrezia made her move. "It's in the hands of God."

"It's in the hands of the College of Cardinals, mother. Not quite the same thing." Cesare reminded her, sharing a sly smile with Amaryllis. "This one." He advised Gioffre when his younger brother showed him his cards, pointing to the one he thought he should use next.

"Hey!" Amaryllis let out a quiet scoff when she saw the card. "Thanks, Cesare. Thanks a lot." She remarked sarcastically as she was forced to draw another card to continue the game.

—∞—

The first day ended with a signal of black smoke. The new pope had not been decided yet.

"Well, look on the bright side." Amaryllis told Cesare as she leaned against the railing of the balcony they were standing on to watch for the signal, causing him to glance at her. "At least no one else was elected pope either."

"That would have been a disaster." Cesare agreed with a derisive laugh. Defeated before the contest even began… his father would have had a fit.

Now all they had to do was wait for him to send word.


End file.
